“The Supreme Court has the responsibility to decidewhether or not a law is constitutional and has rendered its verdict on theAffordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. I continue to believe thatPresident Obama and Congressional Democrats overreached their authority whenthey enacted a partisan law that will ultimately increase health care costs,decrease choice, impose billions of dollars in new taxes and penalties, andgreatly expand the role of the federal government. Our nation facesoverwhelming financial challenges, including a nearly $16 trillion debt, andthis health care law will only make avoiding the coming fiscal cliff even moredaunting.

“There can be no question, however, that our nation’s health care system requiressubstantial reform. A clean decision by the Court to overturn this lawwould have paved the way for Congress to start over in a bipartisan fashion, aswe should have from the start, to draft a health care bill that achieves theconsensus goals of improving access and quality, providing more choice,containing health care costs, and making health care coverage more affordablefor all Americans.

“The Supreme Court was right to concur with the 26 states, including Maine, thatchallenged the healthcare law’s mandate to dramatically expand their Medicaidprograms or risk losing their Medicaid funding. Maine already has agenerous Medicaid program. Had the Medicaid mandate been upheld, financially-strapped states would have been forced to make draconian cuts in other criticallyimportant areas such as transportation, education, and many others in order tocomply with this expensive federal mandate. Ultimately, this provisionwas a false promise because it would not have been sustainable.

“I also am particularly concerned about the impact that this law will have on Maine’ssmall businesses, which are our state’s job creation engine. The lawdiscourages small businesses from hiring new employees and paying themmore. It could also lead to onerous financial penalties, even for thosesmall businesses that are struggling to provide health insurance for theiremployees. Even where the law tries to help small businesses, it missesthe mark. For example, I have long been a proponent of tax credits tohelp small businesses afford health insurance for their employees. Thenew credits for small businesses in the health care law, however, are poorlystructured. They are phased out in such a way that businesses willactually be penalized when they hire new workers or pay their employeesmore. Moreover, they are temporary and can only be claimed for two yearsin the insurance exchanges.

“In the wake of the Supreme Court’s divided decision on this law, I continue to hopethat Congress will work together to change the law substantially not only inresponse to the Court’s decision but also to respond to the very real healthcare concerns of the American people as well as the budget realities we face.”